Sunday, May 3, 2015

From Horndog Doc To ISIS Propagandist

The popular image of the foreign members of the terrorist group ISIS is that of the disgruntled poorly educated westerner who is unattached to any family or significant others. Some have half jokingly suggested that if these young men would just find some girlfriends then they wouldn't have the desire to go off to the Middle East desert to wreak havoc.

Maybe that doesn't accurately describe all the ISIS anarchists. Say hello to Dr. Tareq Kamleh. Dr. Kamleh is an Australian pediatrician who trained at the Royal Adelaide Hospital before deciding that terrorism is the life for him. Funny thing though is that prior to seeking a life of depravity, Dr. Kamleh was voted the most sexually promiscuous intern at his hospital during training. For that, he received the Golden Speculum award in 2011.

The Australian Medical Association and the South Australian Salaried Medical Officers Association both consider the Golden Speculum a bit juvenile but not worthy of condemnation. Say Dr. David Pope, former president of the SASMOA, "It's purely done for their own entertainment...it's not a matter for the association. It is a matter for the medical students themselves."

After finishing his residency, Dr. Kamleh first worked at the Adelaide Women and Children's Hospital. As recently as late 2014, he was found working in Perth. He left Australia for Malaysia in March of this year. He then he popped up in an ISIS propaganda video extolling the virtues of the organization. He is seen handling neonates and urging more people to become jihadists. He has also changed his name to Abu Yusuf.

It is illegal under Australian law to join a terrorist organization. Though the Australian Medical Board has so far declined to deregister Dr. Kamleh as a physician, if he ever returns home he could face 25 years in prison.